Crane Watch: Numbers down 8% to 72 in Dublin city centre

June’s total still more than double the 31 recorded at first count in February 2016

There were 72 construction cranes visible over the centre of Dublin on June 1st from the seventh floor of The Irish Times building on Tara Street.

This is a drop of six – or 8 per cent – on last month’s total of 78 and eight less than the 80 recorded on December 1st, 2017 – the highest score yet registered by the Irish Times Crane Count. June’s total, however, is still more than double the 31 recorded on February 1st, 2016, when the newspaper’s crane survey was launched.

There were 50 cranes recorded on the southside – a drop of eight from May – as construction nears completion on many sites. However, clearance work is now well-advanced on developer Marlet’s 1.7-acre site at Lime Street and Sir John Rogerson’s Quay in the south docklands.

This is the last significant site being developed in Dublin's south docklands special development zone. Marlet plans to build 9,290sq m (100,000sq ft) of offices and 100 apartments on the site, which cost about €90 million to assemble.

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This site, which once housed the Irish Steam Packet Company, is next to Cardiff Lane, where Marlet is developing a large mixed-use scheme.

Meanwhile, there were 22 cranes visible on the northside – a rise of two on the previous month. This reflects a trend noticeable since the start of the year as development is starting to take off in the north docklands. Many significant sites in this part of the city are either being cleared or are about to move into the construction phase.

The Irish Times will continue to conduct a crane survey once a month to track construction levels in the city centre.